


Let's Hang Out Sometime

by Widowfics



Series: Varian and Whumptober 2020 [1]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hanging, Hurt Varian (Disney), I'm just a freshman don't judge, Nightmares, Varian Angst (Disney), Varian whump, Whumptober 2020, ish, no.1 - Freeform, shackled, whatever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26669443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Widowfics/pseuds/Widowfics
Summary: Suddenly, he feels himself being pushed forward, causing him to stop his search. The crowd parts, creating a path for the guards and their prisoner to walk down. Only at this moment does Varian actually stop to wonder what exactly is going on. He looks forward, hoping he’ll somehow find answers ahead of him.The sickening sight that meets him is all he needs. His eyes widen, and his hand subconsciously touches his throat, chains rattling tauntingly.Because it’s gallows that loom over him.orWhat if things had gone differently for Varian after Rapunzel and the crew left the kingdom?
Relationships: Quirin & Varian (Disney)
Series: Varian and Whumptober 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1940524
Comments: 23
Kudos: 134
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Let's Hang Out Sometime

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I'm soooooo excited for Whumptober this year. Hopefully, I actually go through all the prompts this time (instead of stopping at FIVE; I know, pathetic). Anyways, I'm also very excited because this is my first official Tangled: the Series fanfic!!! I hope you guys enjoy, because - if I do say so myself - I have greatly improved my writing style, as well as tried new things with it. I'm so happy to be back into writing again:)
> 
> Also yes, I'm posting this one day early. Think of it like one present on Christmas Eve (if your family doesn't do that, I'm so sorry)
> 
> PROMPTS I CHOSE FOR TODAY: shackled, hanging

The clang of metal on metal is what Varian wakes up to. He sits up from where he had been laying on cold, stone floor. He’s not sure when or why he got in what is obviously a jail cell, but for some reason, he’s not surprised. His consciousness tells him he has done something, something terrible. He knows that he deserves to be here, though he doesn’t know _why_ , exactly.

The sound that had woken him up turns out to be two people opening the cell door. Varian immediately recognizes them as Coronan guards, meaning whatever he has done must’ve been against the Crown.

One of the two, the Captain of the Guard, Varian realizes, holds a chain in his hands. At the end of it, a small set of cuffs is attached, a perfect fit for the boy’s thin wrists. He steps forward, holding them out, a grim look on his face.

“Let’s just get this over with,” he says gruffly. 

Varian’s not sure what he’s implying, but he can’t find it in him to ask. He simply stands up, raising his arms in front of him and waiting silently as the Captain fastens the cuffs. Soon, the two are escorting him out of the cell and down the hallway. Varian keeps his eyes down, not really paying attention to his surroundings.

He doesn’t quite feel the time pass, but it must because when he lifts his head, they’re outside. He’s not sure how he didn’t notice before, but people now surround him on all sides. None have faces that he knows, but he scans the crowd anyways. It’s as if he’s looking for someone, but he’s not sure who.

Suddenly, he feels himself being pushed forward, causing him to stop his search. The crowd parts, creating a path for the guards and their prisoner to walk down. Only at this moment does Varian actually stop to wonder what exactly is going on. He looks forward, hoping he’ll somehow find answers ahead of him.

The sickening sight that meets him is all he needs. His eyes widen, and his hand subconsciously touches his throat, chains rattling tauntingly.

Because it’s gallows that loom over him.

A thousand different emotions crash down on him at the understanding. Fear, resistance, even anger. But not surprise. No, there is still no surprise.

_What on earth had he done?_

This is the only thing in his mind as he is marched up onto the wooden platform. What had he done? Why did he deserve this? How had he become so terrible to the point of deserving death? Perhaps he’ll never know; he’ll hang from the noose in complete oblivion, his heart understanding but his mind just _so confused_.

The sound of a man clearing his throat makes Varian snap his attention back to the situation. The man is Nigel, the King’s Royal Adviser. He holds a piece of paper in front of him, apparently prepared to read it.

“Loyal citizens of Corona, may I please have your attention?” Once the crowd complies, Nigel continues. “Standing before you is Varian of Old Corona, who is to be executed today for his crimes against the Kingdom. I will now list his most notable felonies.”

Varian’s heart skips a beat. Maybe _this_ will answer his questions.

“Theft from the Royal Vault.”

A memory involuntarily flashes in his mind. Walking through tunnels, hiding emotions, having a plan. _Rapunzel_. He had betrayed her, hadn’t he? She had trusted him, but he just used her. He had gotten what he wanted, his idea should’ve worked.

_But it hadn’t…_

“Attack on the palace square.”

Ruddiger. His sweet, loyal friend. His _only_ loyal friend. He had used him too. He had turned him into a monster- no, _he’s_ the monster. But they had _made_ him a monster; none of this is his fault. He could’ve gone a different path- no! They hadn’t left him a choice, that was the only choice, right?

“Kidnapping of the queen.”

Those huge green eyes, the way they followed him as he walked around his lab and prepared for the coming attack. They held judgement, he’s sure. Or did they hold fear? But why would she be afraid of him? No, people shouldn’t be afraid of him, people _aren’t_ afraid of him. Wait, no, he _wanted_ them to be afraid of him, _wanted_ them to know the consequences of their actions. He would not be ignored anymore.

“Attempted murder of the Royal Family.”

It’s him who is afraid. He had tried to kill people, multiple times. He’s a traitor and he’s going to be hanged as such. No one will come to save him, to have mercy on him. Not Rapunzel, or Eugene, or Cass, or Da…

Dad. Oh gosh, _Dad._ He remembers now, he remembers it all. The result of his disobedience, the reason he did all this, the one he had been looking for in the crowd. But he won’t find him in the crowd. No, he’ll never find him. Because his father is dead.

And he had killed him.

“Among other various accounts of disturbance, harassment, and treason. Now, Captain?”

Nigel has finished, apparently. Without a second of warning, a rope is slid over Varian’s head. His breathing quickens at the course feeling on his skin, shackles rattling with the shaking of his body.

He’s the cause of his father’s death.

_No-_

He’s about to die.

_No!_

“Varian of Old Corona, do you have any last words?”

_NO!!!_

Varian stays silent.

Nigel smiles.

The Captain pulls a lever.

The floor gives way under him, and he falls. Darkness encompasses him instantly.

_Goodbye, Varian._

~

“NO!!!”

Quirin’s eyes flash open at the sudden scream. It takes him a minute to shake out of his sleepy state, but as soon as he does, he knows exactly where to head.

This is nothing new; he has been dealing with Varian’s constant nightmares since he had been released from the amber. He has come to expect them, even, as one might expect an infant crying while everyone else is asleep.

But he’s not annoyed, no, never annoyed. His son can’t help the panic and anxiety that refuse to leave him, can’t change the trauma he had been forced to live through. He’s aware of the entire story and of the mistakes _both_ sides had made. He’s also aware of Varian’s reformation and his complete devotion to never, ever going down that path again. And he’s proud of him.

So Quirin will do everything in his power to help him achieve every one of his goals. And if that means being ready to comfort his 15 year old after a bad dream in the middle of the night for the next year, then so be it.

He grabs the small door handle, gently pushing the door open and peeking inside Varian’s room. As he predicted, his son sits on the edge of his bed, head in his hands and breathing heavily. Quirin lets out a small sigh, completely opening the door and quietly walking in. 

“Hey,” he starts, smiling softly despite how dark it is.

Varian jerks his head up, looking at Quirin with wide eyes. But after recognizing him, he relaxes a little.

“Hey Dad,” he whispers. He still seems a little shaken, but it’s better than other times when he’s trapped in a panic and Quirin has to break him out. “Sorry I woke you up.”

Quirin shakes his head as he sits down next to him on the bed. 

“Son, we’ve talked about this. It’s not always your fault.”

“Yeah, I know,” Varian responds, not sounding like he really means it. He looks back down at the ground and folds his hands together.

Quirin places a hand on his back, which he immediately leans into.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Varian seems to consider the question. Finally, he shrugs.

“Not really.”

Quirin nods. “That’s ok. How about you try to go back to sleep then? I’ll stay with you.”

Varian lays his head on his father’s lap in response. Quirin shifts into a more comfortable position and begins to thread his fingers through his son’s long hair, happy that he does not seem to be resistant tonight. They sit like this for a while, until he is sure the boy is fast asleep. But then Varian’s voice sounds through the silent room, proving him wrong.

“Why didn’t the king kill me?”

Quirin’s hand freezes. 

“What?”

“The king,” Varian repeats, unmoving. “Why didn’t he have me executed? I mean, my crimes more than warranted it.”

Quirin completely drops his hand, causing Varian to sit up. He looks up at him, big blue eyes illuminated by the pale moonlight.

“Why...why are you asking this?”

Varian looks off to the side, as if ashamed by his father’s question. But he doesn’t back down.

“I mean, seriously. I know Eugene would have been hanged if he hadn’t found Rapunzel, and that was just for _stealing_.” He lowers his voice. “I tried to kill people, Dad.”

Quirin is speechless. His son, his beautiful boy, is legitimately wondering why he’s alive. 

He personally can think of plenty of reasons. He was only fourteen, he was, in a way, pushed into doing all that he did, he is not a bad person, Quirin would never be able to go on if anything happened to him…

But that wouldn’t mean anything to Varian, he realizes. His son is hurt, in more ways than one. Quirin knows he must take his wondering seriously, even if it doesn’t make sense to him.

“Varian,” he says, gentle but firm. Varian continues to look away, so he carefully tilts his chin up. He’s caught off guard a little by the tear-filled eyes that meet him, but he continues anyways. 

“If you truly deserved to die, then the king _would_ have ordered the same fate as Eugene. But he didn’t. Why do you think that is?”

Varian opens his mouth to argue, but apparently finds nothing to say, and closes it.

“I don’t know…” he admits.

Suddenly, Varian squeezes his eyes shut, allowing the tears to flow down his cheeks. He buries his face into his father’s chest, hugging him tightly.

“I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know. I did- I did terrible things to him- to _them_ . To all of them. They shouldn’t have forgiven me, I knew they weren’t going to forgive me, _why did they forgive me?_ I don’t deserve it, Dad!”

Quirin lets his son rant and cry into his clothes. He’ll let him do it every night, for the rest of their lives, if that’s what makes him better. He loves Varian, and he’s never going to leave him again.

“I don’t deserve it…” he repeats, voice muffled. 

Quirin wraps his arms around him, doing everything to keep his own tears from falling.

“You’re right. You don’t deserve _this_ , Varian. You don’t deserve to feel like the bad guy anymore. Because you’re not. That time is _over_ , Varian, and you never have to go back. You’re sorry; that’s why they forgave you. You’re safe; that’s why you don’t have to be afraid anymore. You’re _good_ , Varian.”

Varian pulls away, wiping away the wetness with his sleeve, and looking up at his father’s face with doubting eyes.

“Am I?”

Quirin smiles. “Yes, you are.”

“I’m...good.”

“Yes. And I’m proud of you.”

This time, Varian matches his father’s expression.

“Dad?”

“Yes, son?”

Varian leans back into the embrace, but this time, it’s calmly, something Quirin is thankful for.

“Either way, I’m glad I’m not dead. Because I don’t think I could stand being anywhere without you.”

And this time, Quirin doesn’t even bother holding his tears back.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, SO, for those who don't know, most of my writing was for Marvel and Avengers. You could say there has been a...decrease, in motivation and excitement for that fandom recently (I mean come on Marvel, it's been over a YEAR since your last movie!!!) Who knows, maybe I'll get back into it when Black Widow comes out. But for now, may I introduce you to TTS, my style. I hope you enjoy this fic and the rest to come!
> 
> Also, I'd just like to say really quickly, I am also writing an original novel over on Wattpad, called Guess Who?. It's a murder mystery, and I would be very, very happy if you decided to check it out;) The info for my Wattpad account is in my AO3 account. I am participating in Inktober as well. I personally don't have an instagram account, but my dear friend has been kind enough to post my drawings with hers at TheFishLives.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you have a great day! Jesus loves you!
> 
> PS: I just noticed I completely forgot Ruddiger in the second part. Sorry, my baby deserves better!


End file.
